Piercings FAQ: Take Deux
So, with this new board and such, I figured it’s time to redo the piercing faq and put it all together, update it, etc etc. So, here it goes.
Most pictures are © Shannon Larratt at BMEzine or Kolo Piercing.
Gauge Chart
The gauge (g) is the size of the jewelry that your piercing is. Generally, all piercings can be stretched. Please refer to the stretching section on best ways to stretch and how to take care of newly stretched piercings. After one reaches 00g, the size then goes into diameter in inch such as 3/4ths or 1.5”
Types of Jewelry
Internally threaded jewelry, though more expensive, is the best type of jewelry to get. When jewelry is internally threaded, it means that the balls have the screws no the bar. That means the bar can easily go into the piercing without the screws scraping against it, especially when it’s fresh. Jewelry can also be made of MANY materials but for healing purposes, surgical stainless steel is best. All jewelry comes in all sizes.
Names
There are many piercings. You can pretty much get anything pierced. Of course, there are genital piercings. For those over the age of eighteen, if you wish to research those, I recommend contacting a professional piercer that you have been recommended to. I will not include pain level. Why? Because as we all know, you can not be told how much something will hurt as it will hurt us all differently.
Piercings on the Ear
Earlobe
The lobe is probably one of the most popular piercings out there. Many people make the mistake of getting their lobes pierced by a gun at Claire’s, Wal-Mart, etc. If you believe that the gun is okay, please stick with me or scroll to the bottom to read why it is not. Please, save yourself and never get pierced by a gun. I promise the professionals know what they are doing. People working a gun at Claire’s do not. They take 4-6 weeks to heal.
Tragus
Healing time: 4-6 months. The tragus is a cartilage piercing. Usually pierced at 18-14g.
Anti-Tragus
The anti-tragus is opposite to the tragus on the ear. It also takes 4-6 months to heal, is a cartilage piercing, and pierced at 18-14g.
Daith
The daith takes about 3-6 months to heal and is generally done with a 16-18g curved barbell or CBR.
Rook
The bigger and more noticeable your rook is, the easier it will to be pierced. It's recommended to get it pierced at 12-16g. It can take 4-6 months to heal.
Conch
It is generally pierced with 14g jewelry and can take 4-6 months to heal.
Helix
The helix is the second most popular piercing on the ear. Again, they should NOT be pierced with piercing guns. Believe me, I got mine done with a needle and had less problems with it than my friends have who got it done with a gun. They are generally pierced with 14-16g.
note: all cartilage piercings should be pierced with a needle one size bigger than the jewelry. My cartilage was pierced with a 13g needle and has 14g jewelry. It allows the cartilage to breathe around the jewelry It can take 4-6 months to heal.
Industrial
The industrial is not limited to helix-helix. It is generally two piercing connected by a barbell. They are usually done with 14g and can take 6-9 months to heal.
Snug
Another cartilage piercing, the snug can take 4-9 months to heal and is pierced at 14g. Remember, not everyone pierces at the same gauged jewelry and it is just a general statement.
Facial Piercings
Tongue
Tongue piercings can be done in the center of the tongue, but can be off-center as well. The tongue usually pierced with a 14-12g barbell and can take up to 6-8 weeks to heal.
Standard Gauge Tongues
Large Gauge Tongues (My good friend Ethan) 2g tongue
Off Center Tongue
Tongue Web
Healing time: 4-6 weeks. Usually pierced at 16-12g with a curved barbell or a CBR.
Nose Piercings
Septum
Takes 6-8 weeks to heal and is usually pierced with an18-14g CBR or horseshoe barbell.
Nostril
Takes 2-3 months to heal and usually pierced with a 20g or 18g nostril screw.
Upper Facial
Eyebrow
Healing time is 2-3 months and is usually pierced with an 18-14g curved barbell or CBR.
Standard eyebrow
Horizontal eyebrow. Please note that this IS a surface piercing meaning it will probably be a bit more painful, healing time will be longer, and has a very high risk of migration or rejection.
Anti-Eyebrow. Same with the horizontal. This IS a surface piercing.
Bridge
Healing time is 2-4 months. It’s usually pierced with a 14g curved barbell.
Lip/Cheek Piercings
Monroe
After the famous Marilyn Monroe, this piercing can take 2-3 months to heal. It is usually pierced with a 16-14g flatback barbell.
Labret
2-3 months to heal, usually pierced with a 16-14g flatback or CBR.
CBR
Flatback
[uTwo side labrets…when two are together they are known as snakebites[/u]
Vertical Labret
Lowbret
Vertical Lowbrets
Cheeks
Cheek piercings take 4-9 months to heal and are usually pierced with a 14g straight barbell.
Frenulum aka Smiley
Takes 4-6 weeks to heal and is usually pierced with a 16-14g CBR.
Navel
One of the most popular piercing…mainly with girls (although I have seen it on a few guys), the navel takes 4-6 months to heal and is pierced with a 14g curved barbell/banana barbell.
Nipple
Takes 4-6 months to heal and is recommended to be pierced with a 14g curved barbell for healing but can also be done with a CBR.
Male Nipple Piercing
Surface Piercings
Surface piercings are at a high risk of migration, rejection, and many other problems. They are difficult to heal and vary on where the piercing is. If not done correctly, it has a 100% chance of rejecting. They are generally pierced with a straight or curved barbell.
Madison
Collarbone
Back Corset
There are MANY more surface piercings. Actually, any surface on your body can be pierced. The thing is…a lot of piercers will not take the risk in doing them. Surface piercings are something that need to be highly researched before getting them done.
Just say “NO!” to the gun!
Why are they bad?
They’re not just bad. They are the devil.
Actually, first I am going to show you something.
Those people at Claire’s? Or Wal-Mart? Those with guns? They are NOT trained piercers! That is not their professional job! Want to know what easily happens when a non-professional pierces you?
Right ear.
Left ear.
Now obviously, my lobes are stretched. But the more I stretch them…the more obvious it is that they did NOT place these symmetrically! Do you see that? My plugs are all touching on my right ear and not at all on my left! It was even visible when I had small lobes. It looks like crap.
Now, why are guns ultimately bad?
Wellll…
They cannot be properly sterilized with an autoclave. Alcohol doesn’t do it. Meaning that gun can have germs on it. Hepatitis even. Yes, people have gotten hepatitis from the piercing gun.
In cartilage, the dull point of an ear ring can crack the cartilage. This can cause you to go blind. With cartilage piercings, the jewelry should be a size smaller than the needle used to pierce you. My cartilage was first pierced with a 14g. The needle that pierced me was a 13g. It allows the jewelry room to breathe and get happy.
Needles are quicker. Think about it. Needles are sharp, ear rings are dull. Try pushing a dull pair of scissors through a piece of paper then a sharp knife. The knife went through easier, didn’t it? That is exactly how it is with guns.
So people, be smart. Walk away from guns. Research and find a good piercer. Never settle on the first piercer you meet. Talk to others and go to who you feel most comfortable about.
Why not to self-pierce
From “Self-piercings are NOT cool!” by yours truly:
Sterilization
I HIGHLY doubt any of you people have the proper sterilization. HIGHLY. Why? The proper sterilization is an autoclave machine. On ebay, autoclave machines cost at least $100, some well over $1,000.
Fire; Fire contaminates items. It does not help to sterilize in any way.
Boiling; Partially sterilizes, but personally, I would never pierce myself with something partially sterilized.
Rubbing Alcohol; Disinfects to some extent but most microbes (including Hepatitis) are not killed.
Bleach; Often doesn’t kill Hepatitis.
Hydrogen Peroxide; Bad for piercings, drys out the skin, does not fully sterilize
Risks! (Many major risks will be discussed soon…just wait…)
The obvious statement that you probably don’t know what you’re doing…especially if you think alcohol sterilizes stuff.
Average time between stretches
Stretching your piercings should be done at a slow rate. You should NEVER force a stretch especially if it hurts. If you’re going to do it yourself, tapers are good to use. Also, warm showers soften the tissue. I once had to go to the doctor and get put on antibiotics and start all over on my stretching because I skipped a gauge and got a massive infection in my ears. I am talking about my ears being swollen to the size of quarters and my lymph nodes were swollen and hurt.
The average time you should wait between stretches are:
Earlobe - 1 month or more
Cartilage - 3 months or more
Septum - 6-8 weeks or more
Labret/Lip - 2 months or more
Tongue - 2 months or more
Nipple - 4 months or more
Major Piercing Risks
Remember! We cannot tell you what it is through the internet. It is best to go to your piercer before assuming anything! I am not going to soften it up. Risks are a major part of piercings. If you cannot handle the risks, you cannot handle the piercing. I hate to break it to you, but that is the way the cooke crumbles.
Blow out
When stretching a piercing, the skin tunnel can be forced out the back of the hole by pressure. There are two ways to remove this tissue…downsizing and hoping it goes away and having it removed. This is generally from stretching too fast.
Boils
Boils are tissue that is hard and filled with pus. They can be caused by bacterial infections, can happen on all piercings, and generally can be treated by hot compresses, herbal soaks, sea salt soaks, and an antibiotic ointment. Popping boils can lead to more problems.[/i]
Cartilage Swelling
The layers of cartilage “seal” an area. Thus, when an infection occurs it can get trapped inside the swelling.
Cheese-Cutter Effect
When lobe piercings are done with a gauge too small (generally anything smaller than 16 or 18g), the lobe can easily be torn with the slightest of pressure. It can either tear the ear ring all the way out or cause the hole to turn into a long slit. Torn lobes generally require stitches.
Ear Collapse
When swelling gets trapped in the cartilage layers, the infection can begin to destroy the cartilage in a matter of a day or two. This can permanently damage cartilage. .
Earlobe Tearing
Again, stretching needs to be done slowly. If you overstretch, you run the risk of tearing along the circumference of the fistula. If this happens, immediately downsize to something that will definitely get the pressure off and allow it to heal before stretching again.
Keloid
Keloids are a kind of scar tissue. Not all scar tissue is keloids though. They are extremely hard to get rid of and sometimes will even come back. The best ways to try to treat them are tea tree oil, vitamin E oil, minimizing the source of irritation (i.e.: taking out the jewelry), or going to a doctor.
Rejection
Piercings are an open wound in your body when they are healing. Even after healing, your body may decide that it does not like that jewelry and push it out. Surface piercings have a high risk of rejection.
Your body can also push jewelry and make it migrate.
Shallow Industrial
Piercings are not meant for everybody. You might not have the proper ear to have an industrial. While piercers may know this, they may also ignore it. Sadly, not all piercers are the best of people. That goes with everyone…not just piercers Poor placement can result in the bar being pushes through the rim bisecting the cartilage.
Remember! These are not all of the risks that are involved in piercings. Please refer to a piercer or other websites to find out more risks.
Minor problems with piercings include:
Swelling
Scar tissue
Soreness
Crusties
Please go to a piercer or doctor if your piercing starts to have pus that is generally a yellow-green color and/or has a foul smell. If you think it is infected, do NOT take it out. That can cause the infection to spread.
FAQ
Straight from “Piercings: A FAQ Post” by yours truly… (generally because I am too lazy to type it out, and it’s not straight from, I did some editing, but hey! I typed it the first time, why do I have to do it again?)
Will it hurt?
We don’t know if it will hurt. Think about it, I could punch two people using the same force and one would probably hurt more. It just depends on your pain tolerance level. Do you feel a lot of pain from something simple or does it take a lot for you to feel pain? If you have a low tolerance level for pain, it probably will hurt, the higher level of tolerance you have, and the less it would hurt.
Can you give me some more positive points about needles?
Better quality of jewelry
Wider range of initial jewelry
You can't sterilize an ear piercing gun
Much more control over positioning
Anesthetics available for pain free piercings
You will get a professional piercer doing it, not the Saturday girl at a hairdressers
No chance of cracking the cartilage in tops of the ear piercings
Should I get my *insert body part* pierced?
I don’t know. Should you? If you want to, then do so. I don’t know how a tongue piercing will look on you; I don’t know if a surface piercing will look good on you (haha, I know, no one has mentioned surface piercings but I have a new obsession.) Ask yourself if you should get something pierced. Head over to tribalectic.co . . . or bmezine.co . . . (do know that bmezine.com does have some adult orientated pictures and some higher extreme modifications, though you have to be a member to see the higher modifications) and read some of the experiences or look at the pictures and think to yourself “would I really like a hole there?”
Okay, I want my *insert body part* pierced, but my mom says no
You know, I’ve wanted piercings for a long time. I know how it is to get a “no” to a piercing. My mom is strictly a “3 holes” per ear person, and hates my gauges. I feel your pain, while I am a piercing addict, if you’ve seen my picture, you’ll realize that I don’t have piercings all over my body, and there is a reason behind that. Talk to your mom; show her pictures of the pretty piercing that you want. You need to be reasonable, be calm and mature. I got my industrial by proving to my mom that I researched it, I knew what I was going to have to do to take care of it, and I was going to pay for it. Don’t whine and beg, that will annoy your mom even more. What if she still says no? You’re out of luck. Wait until you’re 18. I’ve been waiting awhile to get many piercings I want, and I am just fine waiting.
I know you said wait until I am 18, but I can’t. Wouldn’t it be fine for my friend/myself to pierce it?
NO! There one was a time when I was dumb (hard to believe, eh? ) and I thought “Well, if my mommy won’t let my get my navel pierced, I’ll do it myself.” Wow, I was an idiot. I’ve pierced myself 5 times, each time was worse than the last. Okay, that’s a lie, but it was that way with my navel. I used to be a safety pin junkie; I had like 200 of them. Can we predict what is coming next? Yes we can. Three times, I’ve shoved a safety pin through my belly button, once through each nipple. Do you know how dumb that is? EACH TIME it got infected. You know what? There is STILL a mark from where I pierced my nipples and they went wrong. Not a big one, but it bothers me. I remember bumping the safety pin that was in my navel and it ended up getting all black and infected. Self-piercings are dumb and to be avoided. Do yourself a favor and don’t let someone (who is not trained, of course) or yourself pierce your body.
You said if I want it pierced, I should get it done. What if I want my navel pierced but my stomach isn’t exactly flat?
Then get it done. Does your nose have to be small to get it pierced? No. If you want your navel pierced, get it pierced. Don’t let something like that get in your way.
Taking Care of your New Piercing!
It is best to have mild liquid antibacterial soap and sea salt. The sea salt should be non-iodized.
Cleaning the Piercing
Clean around the piercing two-three times a day. Clean your hands for with the antibacterial soap, wash away the crusties with warm water, and lather the antibacterial soap around the piercing. Rinse the area.
Once or twice a day, soak your piercing in a saltwater solution, Mix eight ounces of warm distilled water in a bowl or cup and dissolve 1/4th of a teaspoon of salt into the water. Cover the piercing with the cup containing the saltwater so that it creates a bind and let it soak for ten minutes. Rinse the piercing with distilled water.
Precautions
(
Taken from my Piercing Aftercare sheet from KOLO}
Do not move the jewelry unless crusties have to be removed from it.
Do not use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointments, betadine or iodine, hibiclens, ear care solution or bactine, or any other first aid product.
Avoid oral or sexual contact with the piercing for the full healing period.
Avoid touching the piercing with dirty hands. Always wash your hands before touching it.
Avoid picking at or playing with a new piercing. Try not to hit, pull, or snack the piercing. Avoid clothes that sit tight against a new piercing.
Avoid swimming in lakes, pools, rivers, etc. Avoid baths.
Do not remove the jewelry until it is fully healed. (
author’s note: this is why I had to retire my top cartilage hole. It shrunk within a matter of seconds.)
If the jewelry has screw on balls or beads check and make sure the beads remain tight on the jewelry.
Do not over clean the piercing.
Do not stop cleaning the piercing before it heals.
If a piercing should appear to be rejecting or growing out, please consult your piercer to determine an appropriate course of action.
In oral piercings, sucking on ice for the first 3-7 days will help to reduce the swelling.
In oral piercings, rinse your mouth with a saltwater solution for at least 30 seconds 3-5 times a day.
In oral piercings, do not drink alcohol for at least three weeks.
In oral piercings, reduce intake of warm beverages and hot/spicy foods for the first 7-14 days.
In oral piercings, reduce all smoking for full healing period.
A General TIP
Piercers do not get paid the most money in the world. If you believe your piercer did a good job, tip them! I’ve been pierced by two people. I tipped them both $10 when I got the piercing. I tipped my first piercer, Miro (who is sadly not piercing anymore) $3 when he cleaned my month old piercing for free and checked out some scar tissue I had. Piercers do like to be tipped, it allows them to know that you appreciate their work. I promise, every time I would compliment Miro and give him a tip when I would go in the shop, he would automatically smile. It’s nice.
Alright folks, move along now. Nothing to see here.
Until next time, that is all I have to say. Thank you for taking the time to read over it, thank you for taking the time to be safe about your piercings, and please continue to do so. Piercings are a serious thing. I would recommend checking out all sites posted at the bottom of this.
PoT/Brittany
Sites used that are good for research:
bmezine.com (if you are under 13, please ask parental permission)
tribalectic.com (if you are under 13, please ask parental permission.
kolopiercing.com (If anyone lives in Georgia, I highly recommend going to Atlanta (Little Five Points, to be exact) to KOLO, they are amazing)
I also recommend:
tattoo.about.com
If you are in the metro-Atlanta area and cannot get to KOLO (because seriously…great place) I would recommend
www.psychotats.com
If you are in San Antonio, Texas I would recommend
www.dandylandtattoo.com. I have never been pierced there nor have I been there…but my piercer has told me about it. Sadly, my piercing place in San Antonio closed.
safepiercing.org 
